I GO MEOW

Submitted photo - Cala

When I was a child, death was a mystery to me. I admit to being scared with the whole process; probably the worst part for me was trying to understand why strangers came to funeral homes for services of people they didn't know.
When I was very young, our family experienced numerous funerals and many trips across Indiana and out of state.
Being in second grade, one year there must have been like eight funerals, and, to be honest, as a small child, it was getting creepy for me.
I did not want to go to another one.
Being who I am - I rebelled at the idea of another funeral, I did not care who it was. I demanded answers, the biggest being why?
"I'm sorry about all this," my grandma Iva told me. I guess we should have had this talk long ago."
Family members took time to explain grief and sympathy to me; it is a way to say goodbye to someone you care about.
Family, friends, you always go. You never let them leave this life for what is beyond alone. That is why people used to "sit up with the dead."
My family tended to be completely blunt, no matter how brutal the truth was.
When asked if I had questions, I asked about the "town mourners" at funerals.
My grandpa answered that question.
One of Papa's favorite songs was "Nobody's Lonesome for Me" by Hank Williams, which contained the lyric, "When the time comes around for me to lay down and die, I bet I'll have to go and hire me, someone, to cry."
"Some people die alone without family, so they go so they are not alone," he said. "Some communities have a couple of people who do that, some don't. It helps with the grieving process. They are doing a service for their community."
Papo explained that "town mourners" were part of the Bible.
Funerals can be emotional, and standing around alone can become an emotional burden for some. Having someone to help during this time helps heal not only the family but also the community.
Little did I know this was a responsibility being in a community.
That is why people bring food for the family; who wants to cook after a funeral?
I learned that funerals can be complicated.
Over the years, losing many more family members along the way has not made funerals any easier for me.
I am closer to the end than the beginning, and it's still a scary process. However, I have faith in my life, so it is not completely frightening like the 10-year-old child I once was.
But I can't help but wonder about the "professional town mourners" or moirologists of Biblical times.
Are they still a thing?
Does anybody care like that anymore?
The community people used to feel and care about has died itself. You would think that among the six living generations in our communities now,
The Greatest Generation (before 1928),
The Silent Generation (1928-1945),
Baby Boomers (1946-1964),
Generation X (1965-1980),
Millennials (1981-1996),
Generation Z (1996 onward)
There would still be compassion.
To clarify, I missed being in Generation X by two days. I have trouble understanding where I fit in this process because my birth date places me in one category. The Greatest Generation raised me, but emotionally, I belong to Gen X. There are other branches in this mess; something about "Alphas," but I believe it is getting out of hand.
I digress.
I haven't cried for years, which is not a source of pride. I think my health and experiencing five strokes in the past few years have broken me as far as emotion goes.
At least, I thought that up until a couple of months ago. While going down the rabbit hole of the Internet, I discovered a video made for this little orange rescue cat named "Cala" called "I Go Meow." Cala was caught meowing/talking what sounded like human words on video, and a person called "The Kiffness" turned it into a song. At first, I was caught up in the catchy tune, but after listening to it a few times, I realized how sad the little ditty was when Cala said, "I don't know who I am, Look away, (and she looked away from the camera to say...) away."
I cried like a baby.
A few days ago, Cala died of old age. I cried again and still fight back tears when the video pops up on my Facebook timeline.
Millions of Cala's fans are also mourning.
If we can mourn for a beautiful little cat, why can't we be more compassionate to each other?
As society loses more and more respect for each other daily, we are losing the ability to respect the dead, customs, our fellow humans, and our pets.

To see Cala's video click the link below

https://youtu.be/r7WI4A8N8dA?si=khQxVC3ikgv2U6pU